This is definitely not the top five's that you typically read in web. That is probably why it has only four. These people come from different periods and are of different races. They profoundly shaped my life and my outlook and continue to do so. Made a difference - from almost being a destitute to whatever I am today.
Henry Ford - The father of mass production who revolutunized Detroit. The man who never believed in accountants or listened to his customers. He once said, 'If I had asked my customers they would have said that they need a faster horse'. Not sure if his philosophy would stick today, considering all the 'listen-to-your-customer' hype we hear everyday.
Temujin (a.k.a Genghis Khan) - The man who was born in a nomadic tribe with a blood clot grasped in his fist. By the time he died, the Mongol empire he had built from the scratch ruled almost all of Central Asia and China. And that was without Internet and GPS. Legend says his funeral escort killed everyone and anything across their path to conceal where he was buried.
Shri Ramanuja - (a.k.a Emperumanar) - The founder of Vishistadvaita, one of the classical interpretations of the hindu philosophy, who lived 120 years. And that was without steroids! He broke the traditional shackles by appointing non-brahman's to perform the Srirangam Temple's work. And that was in the 12th century A.D.
Chellamal, my Grandmother - It was 80s. I remember sitting in front of her along with my sister, eagerly listening to her while she mixed the 'kuzhambu sadam' in a small vessel and gave us one morsel at a time . She told us countless number of stories of love, courage, valor, honor, sacrifice, machievellinism, intelligence, history, and legend. Yes she fed me with more than just dinner.
This list, perhaps, will be appended some day. For now, I say adios.
